It was a real treat recently to attend a presentation class at Gwinnett Tech that had the students each making a chair. They were all given the same inspiration, a poem by Brian Andreas, one of my favorites. Each came up with a completely unique take on it. The only similarity was generational with the class being somewhat split between early twenties and those on a second career path in their later thirties and forties. The older the student, the more likely it seemed they would produce a chair that spoke of how complex life becomes and how many responsibilities there are to juggle. It was really fascinating.

Each student had to make a chair, either from scratch or they could use an existing and modify it to fit their vision. These were considered art only so sitting on it was not requisite. Materials were unlimited and included plastic garden pots, overalls, hammers, tatami matting, chinaware, flatware, wind, water, and electricity. WOW, it was like being in a designer candy store with so many options.

Many of the participants explored a range of unfamiliar tools and more for this project. From jigsaws, to miters, sewing and upholstery, to silicone adhesives, for yours truly who has never hung wallpaper and believes life can be fixed with a glue gun and staples, this was a wake up call! It was quite impressive. I have included pictures here of just a few of the entries (with over 20+ I couldn’t possibly include everyone!).

Unfortunately due to the instructor's family emergency, I was unable to obtain the students' names and titles of the chairs, but wanted to share anyway!

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When the Wind Blows, James Patterson
Okay, I’ll buy it . . . human experiments to create a better, longer living being that has the side benefit of flight?! Well this one was out there even for me. Definitely loaded with suspense, a healthy dose of romance, and even family values. Of course it does make the scientific community out to be coldly calculating and quite inhuman, and driven almost exclusively by greed. But then somebody has to be the bad guy. This actually reminded me of an old movie starring Emannuelle Beart as an angel, who is captured and unable to communicate . . . but that is another story. This is reasonably spellbinding and effectively page turning.

Home By Design, Sarah Susanka
From the best selling author and architect of The Not So Big House, Susanka continues her revolutionary thinking in home design with this guide to the 27 key concepts that can be applied to any house to make it a home you’ve always wanted. She has divided the book into three parts: space, light, and order. Each detailed section is simple, short and brilliantly illustrated with photographs. The book can be perceived as a road map to creating the home of your dreams. It isn’t about how much space you have, but you do with it that truly counts. I agree!


Books
For more of Melissa's brilliant book reviews, check out her Designer Book Reviews Blog.